Dark Devotions by Nichole Greene

26

LAKE

Something is wrong.None of my team have seen Tripp anywhere. The first of the presentations are starting, and as keynote speaker, he should be seated at his table. I lock eyes with Nolan and Sawyer, both of them are obviously having the same thought. I give the signal for my team leader to go check on Liv and Grant.

The presentation finishes, and I hear my team leader in my ear piece saying GSW along with the location of the conference room they were waiting in. The three of us lock eyes again and spring from our seats.

A cold sweat breaks out on my neck as we race down the hall toward the conference room. Grant is on the floor in a pool of blood when we burst through the door. There’s a gash on his head, but there’s too much blood for it to be from that wound. My team leader looks up from where he’s kneeling beside him.

“He’s breathing and pulse is good. It looks like the GSW is on his shoulder and he was knocked out afterward,” he says as he makes room for me.

“Call our medics, no outside medics,” I command. Part of me feels guilt at leaving him behind, but if Tripp has Liv, time is critical. I look up at Nolan who already has his phone out and is tracking her.

“They’re heading out of the city toward New Jersey.” His face is devoid of emotion, completely blanked into his killer’s persona. It’s the craziest thing about him, the way he can instantly slip in and out of it. I have to breathe through my panic, he just crushes his with an iron fist.

We’re already moving toward the back exit of the hotel where my team members have parked several cars in case of this type of emergency. There’s a blacked-out SUV, a motorcycle, and a truck. Nolan grabs the helmet off the bike and looks at me as if daring me to tell him no. Sawyer and I share an apprehensive look as he swings his leg over the bike and takes off.

“Tunnel or bridge?” I ask Sawyer.

“Fuck,” he mutters. “They all suck. Tunnel,” he says decisively.

The one thing giving me any type of peace of mind right now is the fact that her tracker has stopped. I’m so glad she let us put it in her arm. I could tell she was hesitant at first, but it’s going to be the thing that saves her.

Sawyer zooms in on an aerial photo of her location. It’s in a warehouse in a shitty part of Jersey. I do a double take when I see the sign on the building beside it.

“Zoom in on that,” I tell Sawyer while I try to divide my attention between the road and the screen. “I know exactly where they are.” I tell Nolan where to hide his bike and the fastest way to cut through the buildings. There’s also a cellar door hidden in the neighboring warehouse that connects to the tunnels beneath.

“Ten minute ETA,” Nolan says through the com. “I’ll go in and see if I can find her.”

“No hero shit, Nolan. He’s already shot Grant. Wait for us,” Sawyer says. “We’re only five minutes behind you.”

“Five minutes is more than enough time for him to hurt or kill Liv. I’m going in as soon as I’m there.”

“You’re no good to us dead,” I growl. “Wait for backup.” I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

“Any other time I would but not when it’s Livvy.” Then the com line between him and us goes dead.

“Motherfucker!” I slam my fist against the steering wheel as a maelstrom of rage, worry, and exasperation swirl inside me. I hit the gas a little harder to try to shave a minute off.

It feels like it takes forever for us to reach the warehouse. As soon as I throw the transmission in park, we’re both out the door tearing our jackets off and strapping our vests on. I’ve got extra rounds in my pockets and both of us have two guns.

I use hand motions to direct Sawyer as we enter the secondary warehouse. It’s completely empty, so we run across the open length, ducking beneath the windows to the cellar door. It creaks as I lift it for Sawyer to descend first. Dim red lights give just enough illumination so neither of us run into anything.

We walk on light, quick feet down the corridor until we come to a steel door. With a nod at each other, we open it slowly, relieved when it stays silent. I wish I knew which way Nolan had gone. We’re in another narrow corridor, but this one is inside the basement of the warehouse where Liv’s tracker was pinging.

Doors line the hall, and when I hear movement behind one of them, I crack it open. My eyes land on two women bound on the hard cement. Both of them are conscious, but their eyes are completely glazed over like they’ve been drugged.

Sawyer and I share a look as we close the door. We’ve stumbled into a human trafficking hub. If there had been a doubt before about the type of person Tripp is, there is none now. We open every door and find the same thing inside each one but no sign of Liv.

We turn the corner at the end of the hall and catch movement. For a second, we freeze until we realize it’s Nolan. We hide away in a small alcove.

“Haven’t found Liv or Tripp,” he whispers. “Did you look in these rooms? There has to be at least a hundred women hidden away.”

I nod. “What’s security like?”

“Light down here, heavier upstairs, but we can probably handle it.”

“Lead the way. Shoot to kill.” None of these predators deserve to live another day. I know we have backup inbound. They should be arriving soon.

Nolan leads us up a metal staircase and into the main level’s storage room. There are groups of four pallets with wooden crates all over, giving us plenty of cover. We see our first two guards, and Nolan shoots them before they even see us. Their bodies hitting the floor are the only sound as we walk further into the room.

There is scaffolding above us with a guard watching everything from above. I point and aim, my bullet hits right between the eyes, and he falls. We hold position for a moment, waiting to hear if anyone heard his body fall the twenty-feet to the ground and the clatter of his rifle hitting the floor.

A door opens, and six sets of footsteps fill the silent chamber. The three of us spread out, still able to have each other’s backs but far enough apart to make it difficult. Sawyer takes out the first guard that comes into view. Bullets tear into the crate above his head. These guys have terrible aim and no stealth. Both of those are advantages to us. Nolan disappears around the corner of his crate, and two more bodies hit the floor. I take out a guy sneaking up on Sawyer, and he returns the favor with two behind me.

“Come on,” Nolan says. “More will be coming in the same direction. I’m pretty sure we’ll have to get into the room they all keep coming out of.”